The Magic Academy's Physicist
Chapter 268: [Boss Fight] The Sea Dragon Campaign (2)

Chapter 268: [Boss Fight] The Sea Dragon Campaign (2)

0% Secuel was in charge of putting out the fires burning the World Tree.

They were able to avoid the worst-case scenario, but it was inevitable that the tree itself got soaked in radiation.

I delegated the work of creating and distributing radiation-shielding and half-life manipulation scrolls to Freyr and Akasha.

Freyr was adamant that she would complete it no matter what. Akasha, on the other hand, said that she got it with an unenthusiastic face.

“So high-maintenance.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

The corner of Akasha’s lips twisted.

She seemed to be showing this kind of lukewarm reaction because I left the formal process of surrendering and defecting to her.

But what could I do, I had a lot of things on my plate, too.

Of course, I already knew what I had to do next.

I ran towards the northern shores where they had been at a standoff for some time.

A giant dragon appeared in the dark fog, and in front of him were a group of mages who were engaged in battle.

“Leviathan.”

When I called his name, the intense battle came to a stop.

One by one, the mages who had been immersed in combat turned their heads my way, and among them were President Cecil Renay and Vermel.

Vermel especially bit down hard on his lip as soon as he saw me.

The mages weren’t the only ones who reacted.

[You’re–]

The fog lifted like it was making way, revealing the great Sea Dragon in iron armor.

He was a giant Beast with all sorts of other Beasts weaved onto his scales, and several sharp naval artillery-looking barrels attached on his spine.

Sea Dragon Leviathan.

He snorted as soon as he saw me.

“You’re laughing?”

Although I was the one who had decided to cut ties with the Demon Army, I couldn’t believe I was being snubbed by this guy who used to be my subordinate.

[Because it’s hilarious. The top of the Demon Army is going around with an Elemental floating around her head.]

Cecil’s pupils trembled at what the Sea Dragon pointed out, clearly shaken.

It was because she had been questioning if I was a Beast or not, but she soon regained her composure. Probably because she saw Alice who was floating above my head.

I didn’t mess around and drew a definite line.

“I decided to stop this madness.”

[So you’ve left the Demon Army.]

The Sea Dragon began sneering as if he knew.

[Spring Heaven said. If Winter Heaven survives here, she will betray us.]

“What?”

[You not only straddle the line between us and another race, but carry around an Elemental as well? I can’t even call you my superior.]

This was Leviathan who not so long ago had understood when I signaled with the beacon and withdrew his forces.

But to treat me like this as soon as I declare that I would leave the Demon Army.

But it was rather relieving.

“As expected of a dragon, cutting me out the moment you no longer see me as a comrade.”

Sea Dragon Leviathan and Jǫrmungandr were distant relatives.

The dragons, a type of beastkin, had a clear line of distinction between allies and enemies. They were endlessly gracious to those seen as allies, but once they turned their backs, they attacked without warning.

Seeing how Leviathan was, it was obvious how Jǫrmungandr was going to treat me as well.

“Stop attacking immediately and defect to this side. I’ll defend you myself when everything is over.”

Still, I suggested him to surrender just in case.

[What is this bitch saying.]

And as expected, he didn’t respond too kindly.

[I only followed you because you were Winter Heaven. There was a hierarchy as you had been given that position by His Majesty.]

“.......”

[But look at you now, surrendering to the humans and elves, and relying upon mere Elementals instead of our lord for magic. What a traitor.]

Leviathan twisted his body this way and that, and the click of him loading shells could be heard.

[Besides, I’ve always wondered why a bitch like you was on the same level as the other Heavens. Why a bitch squirreled away in some room scratching away with a quill pen stood shoulder to shoulder with the other three!]

Shwaaaa!

Undulating like the water, Leviathan pointed all the guns this way.

He spit out all the shells from his spine like a turret-loaded battleship all firing at once.

Simultaneously, the tidal wave created by his movement crashed onto the shores.

“Leave it to me!”

President Cecil swung her staff.

Using fire against water, and water against fire, she stopped the shells and waves all at once.

Red and blue mixed together in Cecil’s eyes, glowing brilliantly like the Taegeuk pattern.

It was a threatening attack but there wasn’t much damage.

“President.”

“We’ll talk later. Let’s do something about that guy first.”

“Alright.”

I gripped my staff and stepped forward. Glancing at both President Cecil and Vermel, I looked forward.

Realizing that his attack didn’t work, Leviathan readied his Breath this time.

I recalled that it was some weird Breath that spat out all sorts of fires and tar-like oil, but so what.

All I had to do was turn him into sashimi.

That was the first impression Vermel had as soon as he saw Aether.

To be honest, he didn’t think he had much to do with Aether coming back to normal.

It was all her own doing.

The Demon Army, the elves, the humans...

There were those you could trust, and ones you couldn’t. Races weren’t a standard of good. Aether had been slow in realizing this, but just recently understood and accepted it thanks to ‘Fake Aether’ from Earth who had played a big part in this process.

The two were slightly different, but became the same in the end. Vermel realized this instinctively.

He wasn’t sad about it or anything.

Just, she was back.

And that was enough.

“Pattern six.”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Vermel cooperated with Cecil and focused on getting under Leviathan’s skin.

Although he had grown plenty strong through training, he was still only able to take down Calamities.

He didn’t have an Elemental, either, so he had to actively work together with an Elemental Mage like Cecil in order to go up against a Cataclysm.

“Pattern eleven. You need to build an earth wall and defend.”

In fact, Cecil was following exactly what Vermel said.

But there was simply no sign that this was enough to beat it. Because whenever they cut down some of its health, Leviathan dove under water and recovered.

The important thing is damage dealing.

An overwhelming dps–in other words, attack power.

Rather than a supporter like Cecil who could support in many different ways, they needed a main DPS who could deal a big one.

And with the arrival of such a DPS, the tides began to break out of deadlock.

“One.”

Thwack!

The sound of smacking someone’s cheek with a spatula rang across the coast of the Bruglium Sea.

The Sea Dragon had to retreat hastily at one blow from Aether’s staff.

[W-what in the world...!]

“Did you think I was weak?”

Actually, Aether was one of the strongest in the top 1% of Ahrens continent based on individual combat power alone.

While she was the weakest of the Four Heavens, it didn’t mean she was unskilled in battle.

Scums beneath Tertius were no match for her.

She had been personally raised by the Demon King in the first place, so of course she wouldn’t be an easy opponent.

“Arrogant bastard.”

Apparently properly angry at being snubbed, Aether chained her moves together without letting up.

Thwack, thwack, thwaaack!

With each strike, a strange light flickered above his head.

She was attacking with purely physical moves and not using magic, yet it was this bad. That was how overwhelming the difference in skill was.

Damn it, someone like me is....

Even as he clenched its teeth, Leviathan backed off for the moment.

On the contrary, his body was raring to leap forward at any moment.

As one who was both a dragon and one of the pillars of the Great Mechas, he could not be outdone by a mere traitor who had left the Demon Army and sided with the Elementals.

To put it bluntly, it wasn’t dignified.

[Do not underestimate me!]

Even as he said that, he kept submerging itself.

- You can retreat now.

Spring Heaven gave such orders, but he didn’t even pretend to have heard.

If he ran away here, he would completely lose face as a dragon.

He was going to lose status in the Demon Army, and also bring shame to Autumn Heaven Jǫrmungandr, his fellow dragon.

And in order not to bring such shame, he had to fight like no tomorrow.

Especially if the opponent was a traitor who betrayed their army.

- That’s right, that bitch is indeed a traitor. If you can defeat her and bring the body, it would be of great help to the King.

Just then, Pasmo, who had been radioing, added wood to the flame and provoked Leviathan.

Leviathan gave a magnificent roar and started thrashing under the water like a colt on the loose.

And in good timing, one of the mages at the back rushed over and with the news.

“Urgent report! The Wind Lodestone has been stolen!”

“What...?”

Unlike Vermel, Cecil and Aether were greatly stunned.

“You aren’t lying one bit?”

“Lord Aerial spotted the fleeing Beasts who stole the Lodestone and went after them, but they ran away at such an incredible speed...!”

Aerial.

The Wind Elemental King who was faster than any being except light.

Even that Aerial hadn’t been able to recover the Lodestone, indicating that was how meticulously the Beasts planned their escape.

Vermel held back a noise.

The Demon King resurrecting is a given. As a kind of causality, it can’t be stopped no matter what.

And even if they did stop them this time, the World Tree would have burned up completely and there would’ve been far more casualties.

Calm down.

Vermel took a deep breath and focused on the target in front of him.

It was also then that Leviathan, who had been hiding below in the ocean, emerged.

“......!”

Aether and Cecil weren’t paying attention because of being distracted by the information about the Lodestone, and the Sea Dragon used the opportunity to try and devour her.

“This piece of....”

In a moment’s wit, Aether twisted her body away, which fortunately prevented her from ending up in its mouth.

But it was a feint.

“...Ugh!”

Leviathan swung his tail from the periphery, and Aether, not having noticed it, was struck by it and went flying.

“Miss Asteya!”

Cecil shouted, and Vermel began to run.